Samuel Putnam Avery Collection

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Collection History

Samuel Putnam Avery (1822-1904) was a New York-based art dealer and collector. In 1900, he donated his collection of prints to The New York Public Library in order to establish a Department of Prints, the first public print collection in New York City. This collection of nearly 18,000 prints, representing 978 artists, is especially rich in holdings of French printmakers, but also includes works by English, American, Spanish, German, Dutch and Belgian artists. At Avery's request, many of the artists inscribed their prints, which frequently appear in multiple, including rare or unique, impressions.

Related Resources

The New York Public Library. A Handbook of the S.P. Avery Collection of Prints and Art Books in the New York Public Library (1901)

NYPL "The Samuel Putnam Avery Collection" <http://www.nypl.org/locations/tid/36/node/29594>

Collection Data

Names: Avery, Samuel Putnam, 1822-1904 (Collector); Avery, Samuel Putnam, 1822-1904 (Donor)
Library locations: The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Print Collection
Genres: Prints; Drawings; Photographs; Ephemera
Notes: Biographical/historical: Samuel Putnam Avery (1822-1904) was a New York-based art dealer and collector. In 1900, he donated his collection of prints to The New York Public Library in order to establish a Department of Prints, the first public print collection in New York City. This collection of nearly 18,000 prints, representing 978 artists, is especially rich in holdings of French print makers, but also includes works by English, American, Spanish, German, Dutch and Belgian artists. At Avery's request, many of the artists inscribed their prints, which frequently appear in multiple, including rare or unique, impressions. The bulk of the prints are from the 19th century, but 16th, 17th, 18th, and early 20th centuries are represented to varying degrees. The collection includes a sub-collection of prints by female artists. The Avery collection is arranged by artist's name.; Citation/reference: The New York Public Library. A Handbook of the S.P. Avery Collection of Prints and Art Books in the New York Public Library (1901)
Physical Description: Etchings; Lithographs
Type of Resource: Still image
Identifiers: Universal Unique Identifier (UUID): 8d08f9f0-c60b-012f-0c69-58d385a7bc34